


Needed Conversations

by Anonymous



Series: Parental Prinxiety [3]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Age Play Caregiver Anxiety | Virgil Sanders, Age Play Caregiver Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Age Play Little Logic | Logan Sanders, Age Play Little Morality | Patton Sanders, Age Regression/De-Aging, Background King Creativity | Romulus Sanders, Gen, He pops up in conversation a bit, M/M, Non-Sexual Age Play, Pre-Relationship, Romantic Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-17
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-13 02:20:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29519376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Important conversations are had. Some about things anew, others long overdue.
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders
Series: Parental Prinxiety [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2132841
Comments: 10
Kudos: 64
Collections: Anonymous





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The first chapter doesn't focus so much on regression, and I don't think the second chapter will either. I have tagged those things because they come up in conversation, and are still relevant. 
> 
> Warnings:  
> \- angst (what did you expect? It's me)

It was late, when Virgil knocked on Roman's door.  
  
Around eleven o'clock, if he had to guess -early for his standards, late for anyone else's. But, then again, no one else spent four hours on Tumblr before they slept.  
  
What if Roman was asleep by now? The prince stuck to a fairly consistent sleep schedule, almost as strict as Logan's. Virgil cringed inwardly as he realised he didn't even know what time Roman slept. For all he knew, he could be interrupting the prince's routine, then Roman would hate him, and-  
  
"Come in!"  
  
_Ugh, pull yourself together, Virge._  
  
Virgil took a deep breath, smoothing out wrinkles in his hoodie self consciously. Then his errant strands of hair. Then his jeans. Then...  
  
He'd run out of things, now.  
  
He pushed the door open, peering inside. Roman was sitting crosslegged on the bed, eyes trained on him. As soon as he'd seen Virgil's face, he broke out into a grin.  
  
"Hey!"  
  
Virgil's heart fluttered in his chest at the cheerful tone.  
  
_Ew. Since when did he use the word "flutter" in regards to himself? Gross._  
  
"You need something?"  
  
Right. Yes.  
  
"Uh, yeah. Just, uh, remember last week?"  
  
Wow. Real smooth. 

Roman quirked a brow, cocking his head like a confused puppy.  
  
_Did he really just make that comparison? Maybe he'd spent a little too much time around Patton..._  
  
"I'm afraid you'll have to be more specific, Hot Topic. I remember seven whole days from last week. Which one are we talking about?"  
  
Virgil flushed, clutching his laptop closer to his chest.  
  
"L-like, when we watched Lady and the Tramp, with Lo and Pat?"  
  
Roman nodded as understanding washed over his face. He shifted backwards until he was resting against the headboard, patting the space beside him.  
  
"I'm guessing this is a sit-down kind of conversation?"  
  
Virgil nodded, relieved he didn't have to ask to sit down himself. He shuffled over, keeping his eyes on the floor, sliding onto the bed in the space by Roman, who'd opened up the covers and slipped inside. As soon as Virgil was settled on the bed, Roman covered their legs with the duvet, before sitting back against the headrest again. Virgil cleared his throat. 

"So, I did some Googling, and I think I might have found an explanation to their..." He trailed off, searching for the correct word.  
  
"Behaviour?" Roman supplied.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
Virgil turned on his laptop after setting it in the space between them. He pulled up his bookmarks on Google, opening them one by one. Roman leaned closer to better see the screen, and Virgil barely stopped his breath from hitching.  
  
_This is ridiculous,_ he thought to himself. He'd literally slept in the same bed as the prince on two separate occasions, and here he was, acting like the teenage girl from every terrible Netflix movie, just because Roman wanted to see the screen better. Virgil shook himself, focussing on the webpage he'd brought up.  
  
"It's called age regression, apparently."  
  
Roman nodded slowly, eyes darting left to right as he read the information on the page.  
  
"Stress relief," he muttered, finally. "Of course. Logan's been under so much pressure lately, and Patton..."  
  
"... hasn't been his usual happy, peppy self," Virgil finished.  
  
"And this was their bodies' quick release method?"  
  
"Things were easier, when Thomas was little," Virgil sighed. "Pat said it himself, remember? It was easy to keep Thomas away from bad things, and steer him towards the good. There wasn't so much scheduling for Logan to do. And the divide wasn't so strong, when... King was here."  
  
King Creativity was a normally a conversation topic avoided like the Plague. No one really wanted to upset Roman.  
  
Well, that was what they all said, anyway.  
  
In reality, Virgil knew it was because they all missed him. Missed him more that words could express. So they didn't talk. Simple as that. 

Virgil stiffened when he felt Roman's head come to rest on his shoulder.  
  
"Tell me more about him?" He asked shyly.  
  
Virgil would have to be a monster to even _consider_ denying such a sweet request.  
  
"Oh, where to start?" Virgil huffed, absently lacing his fingers with Roman's.  
  
"I know I said that things were easier, but they were still tense. Janus and Pat would argue all the time; this was when Patton really got the whole 'everything is either good or bad' thing into his head. Logan and I didn't really get along either, because, well, fear isn't exactly a logical thing, is it? King was the bridge between us, the glue that held us al together. He was wonderful, told us stories of all the crazy adventures he went on. He was the one who made up the Dragon Witch, you know?"  
  
"So _that's_ why I don't remember creating her..." Roman mumbled into his shoulder.  
  
"We had different names too. Pat was Heart, Lo was Curiousity, Janus was Safety, and I was Fear. King loved us all. But he loved Janus the most."  
  
Roman lifted his head at that, staring incredulously.  
  
"He did?"  
  
Virgil laughed at Roman's expression.  
  
"Just like how Patton's the dad of the Light Sides, King practically adopted me and Janus. He always said there was no favouritism, but, y'know, every parent has their favourite kid. Janus was different, back then. He didn't have that pompous Disney villain act. He was kind, in his own way. Then the Split happened. Janus locked himself away, wouldn't talk to me or Remus. We were pushed away, labelled the Bad Guys and, one day, this new Janus appeared. Stoic, inconsiderate at times, didn't want to have anything to do with us. He and Remus started off rocky, then I left, then they were all they had."  
  
Virgil took a deep breath to compose himself. He really hadn't meant to go this far at all. But, that was what happened after years of repression, he supposed. You create one crack, and it all comes gushing out, like water from a dam. 

"It's easy to forget that Janus is hurting too. He puts on that stupid façade and makes us all hate him. But he lost a parent," Virgil finished. "And that's pain that doesn't heal so easily."  
  
Roman took a shuddering breath, and Virgil was immediately thrown back into reality.  
  
"Oh- oh, gosh, Ro, I didn't mean to-"  
  
"No," Roman sniffed. "No, no. It's fine. I'm glad you told me these things, because I needed to know, and, though I know you'll never admit it, you needed to talk to someone. I just..." he sighed. "I just wish that I could do something. I know Janus lost a parent, but so did you, and that's pain I want to be able to take away. Maybe King was better for all of you..."  
  
Virgil squeezed their joined hands and, after a moment, Roman squeezed back hesitantly.  
  
"We loved King, Ro. But we love you too. You're one of the best things that could've happened to us."  
  
_One of the best things that could've happened to me._  
  
Before Roman could respond, Virgil turned his attention back to the laptop.  
  
"Now c'mon, enough depressing topics. We have research to do."  
  
They spent who-knows-how-long reading through various articles, occasionally doing another search if there was a burning question to be answered. At some point, Virgil wasn't sure when, they'd switched to looking at cute baby stuff online.  
  
"Hey, what do you think about this?" Virgil pointed at a baby blue pacifier he'd found.   
  
No response.  
  
"Ro?"  
  
Virgil craned his neck to look at the prince resting on his shoulder, only to find him fast asleep, snoring softly into the fabric of Virgil's hoodie. Virgil chuckled.  
  
"Alright, Princey. Probably for the best that we both go to bed, huh?"  
  
Roman didn't respond to that, either, but Virgil wasn't expecting him to. Slowly, he nudged Roman off his shoulder, laying the prince in bed. He shut down his laptop, untangling his hand from Roman's, ignoring the unwelcome rush of cold air as he slipped out of bed.  
  
Virgil made sure Roman was comfortable, tucking the blankets further around him And flicking the lights off, before turning to leave.  
  
"Night, Ro." 

And, hidden in the darkness, unbeknownst to Virgil, Roman smiled.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roman, Virgil, Logan and Patton finally have a chat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this is so short- 
> 
> Warnings:  
> \- none, as far as I'm aware

"Hey, can we talk to you guys?"  
  
Virgil clutched his laptop to his chest, biting his lip. This was risky, he knew, considering how Logan reacted the first time he and Roman wanted to talk, but it needed to happen. They couldn't go on pretending that none of this was happening.  
  
Logan glanced up from his book, and Patton paused where he was ironing laundry. Roman was standing behind Virgil, and he itched to reach out and capture the Side's hand in his own.  
  
Patton's eyes searched his face. What exactly he was looking for, Virgil wasn't sure. Whatever it was, Patton didn't seem to find it, as he nodded slowly.  
  
"Sure, kiddo," he said, placing the iron down and dismissing the laundry with a wave of his hand. He didn't seem to know what was going on yet.  
  
The same couldn't be said for Logan, who had gone completely rigid, eyes wide and pupils dilated. Not a good sign. Virgil could feel the anxiety rolling from him in waves. One wrong move, and Logan would bolt.  
  
Virgil took a seat at the edge of the couch, keeping a safe distance from Logan; allowing the Side room to breathe, but also close enough to comfort, should the need arise. Patton sat down next to Logan, and Roman sat by Patton.

No one said a word.  
  
Virgil sighed. Apparently he had to go first then.  
  
"You both remember last week, yeah? When we all watched Lady and the Tramp together?"   
  
Patton's eyes widened in realisation, and Virgil was hit with another overwhelming wave of anxiety, crushing his chest and constricting his lungs. He took a deep breath in an attempt to ease the pressure. Gosh, sometimes he wished he didn't have to feel everyone else's anxiety, just his own was overwhelming enough!  
  
"Princey and I did some research a couple of days ago, and-"  
  
"I apologise," Logan said gruffly, moving to stand. "But I just remembered I had some-"  
  
Patton caught his wrist as he brushed past.  
  
"Please, Lo?" He whispered. "We need to know about this."  
  
Logan paused. He didn't wrench his wrist from Patton's grip and storm away, like Virgil expected, but looked rather conflicted instead. His eyes flicked back and forth, from the stairs to Patton. Virgil held his breath in anticipation.  
  
"Fine," he said, after a moment. "I will stay."  
  
"Thank you, Logan," Roman said, and Virgil could tell, from the lack of nickname, that he was being sincere.  
  
Logan shuffled back to his place, head ducked, sitting gingerly beside Virgil again, who busied himself with opening his laptop. He pulled up the websites that he and Roman had looked at, before turning the screen to face Logan and Patton.  
  
"Age regression," he explained. "Is what me and Ro-"  
  
"Roman and I," Logan butted in quietly. Virgil smiled. If Logan was correcting grammar, then he was getting more comfortable.  
  
"Ro and I found best matched what happened last week. It's a method of stress relief, used by many, occasionally to deal with trauma, or sometimes entirely just for stress. Or even just because it's nicer to be a kid again."  
  
"But all of this," Logan gestured to the information on the screen. "Suggests that it is voluntary. What transpired in my room two weeks ago was anything but that."  
  
Virgil clicked on a different tab, internally cheering at Logan's, albeit hesitant, participation. It was most certainly a step up from two weeks ago, where he and Roman were immediately kicked out of the room.  
  
"It isn't always voluntary, and that's fine too."  
  
"But that doesn't mean it always has to be involuntary, either," Roman added. " You can regress voluntarily, if you want to. Hot Topic and I don't mind looking after you. We're your friends, and we love you, no matter what you do to cope with stress."   
  
Logan nodded his head, silently processing the words. Virgil pretended not to notice the way his eyes glossed over at the words "we love you". He turned the laptop back towards himself, searching through the tabs for a specific one.  
  
"Sometimes, I feel a lil' fuzzy," Patton piped up. Virgil's eyes flicked up from the screen to see him lean into Roman. The prince's eyes softened, as he put an arm around Patton's shoulders.  
  
"Yeah?" He whispered, as if the two of them were sharing a secret. Patton nodded, tucking his head into the crook of Roman's neck. He dropped his voice to match the volume of Roman's as Virgil looked on fondly.  
  
"Mhm. Sometimes I felt nice and warm and squishy inside, and I cuddled with all my 'tuffies, but I gots lonely. Then I didn' really like it anymore."  
  
"Oh, Pat..." guilt stabbed Virgil in the gut. Patton had been feeling lonely, and he hadn't felt comfortable enough to ask for help. And Virgil hadn't even noticed. What a fantastic friend he was.

From the expression on Roman's face, Virgil could tell the prince was having similar thoughts. He hugged Patton close.  
  
"You always have us, alright? We'd never want you to feel lonely, Pat."  
  
Patton lifted his head from Roman's shoulder to give both him and Virgil a shy smile.  
  
"'S ok now. Don't feel so lonely anymore. I has you guys!" Patton threw his arms around Roman's neck, almost pulling himself into the prince's lap.   
  
Virgil chuckled. Patton was most definitely regressing, whether the Moral Side knew it or not. He reached over Logan to ruffle his hair.  
  
"I'm glad you feel that way, Pat."

As he retracted his hand, another one curled around it hesitantly. Virgil met Logan's eyes, and gave his hand a gentle squeeze. Logan squeezed back.  
  
"So, I'm not broken?" He asked, eyes shining with vulnerability. "I'm ok?"  
  
Virgil's heart shattered at those words. He tugged Logan closer, bringing the Side into a loose hug. To his surprise, Logan wound his arms around Virgil's waist tightly, burying his face in his hoodie.

"You're ok, Lo." He murmured into Logan's hair. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Roman's smitten grin.  
  
"Everything's ok."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, now that we've gotten through some of the angst, I can finally write some more fun, cute things! 
> 
> (But fear not, I still have some emotional turmoil up my sleeve...)
> 
> Edit: ok, anyone who hasn't read my fic 'Self-Care? Never Heard of Her' can skip past this. 
> 
> I've suddenly got this urge to write a longer, slightly-angstier-but-cuter-in-the-long-run version of Logan and Janus' chapter, because I have a couple ideas for EVEN MORE ANGST! So, I was just wondering if that would be of interest to anyone?

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos are always appreciated! 
> 
> Take care! <3


End file.
